Misinterpretations of this verse often treat 'Jerusalem which is above' as a literal future earthly capital in millennial prophecies, overlooking Paul's allegorical intent to contrast old and new covenants; others reduce it to merely the institutional church, ignoring its depiction as the eternal spiritual reality embracing all God's children; or misuse it to divide Israel from the church, contradicting the passage's unification of believers under the free woman's promise.
Galatians 4:26
King James Version (1769)
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
In Galatians 4, Paul employs an allegory from Genesis contrasting Hagar and Sarah to illustrate two covenants: the earthly Jerusalem represents the bondage of the Mosaic law, while 'Jerusalem which is above' symbolizes the free heavenly city, the true mother of all believers in Christ, emphasizing spiritual freedom and inheritance through faith rather than legalistic works.